Celestial Bloodline

"Dang, it's super loud..."

A familiar voice sliced through the chaos of sounds reverberating in front of one of the three massive gates positioned in various directions amidst the towering walls of Gladiator Arena.

The young man, decked out in a sophisticated grey hoodie adorned with intricate designs on the cuffs, paired with dark trousers that exuded elegance and style, glided out from one of the many floating ships docked by the massive gate that loomed over a vast area. He pulled back his hoodie, revealing a pair of golden eyes that narrowed as he scanned the numerous people of different races lining up to get a nameplate before entering the massive gate.

Another curse slipped from his lips as he ran his hand through his brown hair, now showing hints of darker edges. The pure golden threads in his eyes swirled as he briefly shut them, but snapped them open again when a woman from the lizard race gave him a rough smack on the back.

"Nine, pick up the pace. The Arena registration might be open for weeks, but that doesn't mean we should lag behind and end up last in line for a nameplate. Let's move quickly."

Nine crossed his arms and grimaced at the overwhelming sight. The sheer number of people around him was beyond count. It felt as if the entire universe had gathered here for the Arena. How would he ever locate his friends in such a massive crowd?

He glanced at the individuals from the lizard race floating around him, the people he had spent many years with. The ones who had arrived on the Sacred Divine Land alongside him and clicked his tongue. Nine had hoped to arrive early at the Sacred Divine Land to search for his friends, but he was unfamiliar with the directions.

The lizard race possessed an array that could teleport them near the Sacred Divine Land, and even though he asked to use it, they were reluctant to use many resources to activate the array solely for his journey. Consequently, he had to wait until the lizard race members preparing for the Gladiator Arena departed from their planet.

However, because of the old supreme rank lizard bastard's command, the lizard race members left their planet just an hour before the start of the Gladiator Arena to prevent conflicts with the dark and demon races wandering the Sacred Divine Land.

Nine eyes widened with shock as the old supreme-rank lizard leading the group of people that had arrived with him instructed them to move forward, discreetly signaling for them to abandon him. He clenched his teeth and followed closely behind them.

'Darn, I really wish I could outmatch this old man. Ugh, If only I were stronger... I have trained under him for so many years, and he still treats me like I'm just an annoying bug. This old geezer. Why doesn't he understand that I don't have scales covering my body like him and his people? That's why my body is on the weaker side!'

He grumbled silently because over the years he had trained under the old supreme rank lizard, he had to endure intense training that was not suitable for his fragile body! The lizard race people bodies were stronger than his, so he had to put in extra effort to catch up with them.

He chuckled when he thought how among all his friends, he was the weakest and the one who detested training the most.

Nine grinned as he observed the well-defined muscles accentuating his physique. It was evident that he outshone all his friends in terms of physicality, strength, and agility, even though he had only reached the second stage of divine energy within the divine rank.

"Hehe..."

An evil laugh slipped past his lips, but he quickly slapped them shut them when he remembered the familiar faces of Alec, Carcel, and Kyle.

"Okay, I retract what I just thought. If I got ahead of myself and those rascals are stronger than me..."

"...They might just pummel me to a pulp to taunt me for the rest of my days."

Nine shuddered at the mere thought of the trio teaming up against him just to tell him who is the strongest among them. He was certain that Regius, Jian, and Sinon would also join in for the fun.

It seemed likely that he would meet his grave early if he was haughty before them, so he decided inwardly to keep a low profile and avoid boasting in their presence.

In that moment, a familiar old voice echoed beside his ear as he had unknowingly halted mid-air while lost in thought.

"Nine Orlando!"

"Huh??"

Nine blinked. Who had the audacity to address him by his full name, a name he had almost forgotten, but as he turned his head and met the serious gaze of the supreme rank old lizard, he nodded.

"Yes, boss."

"How may this humble me assist you?"

The old supreme rank lizard raised his hand and gestured around them.

"Can this humble one see just how many people are floating around him?"

Nine glanced around. There were numerous unfamiliar individuals floating around him. He opened his mouth to respond, but the old man interjected before him.

"Nine, I don't have the patience to ensure you don't get lost in this crowd. You need to stay with the group. Otherwise, I will leave you behind!"

Nine let out a dry laugh and scratched his head when he noticed that the group of people under the old lizard had already entered one of the numerous lines queuing in front of the massive gate leading inside the towering walls. The old man harrumphed and swiftly moved towards the group looking at him from a distance; Nine quickly followed behind and joined the group. However, he didn't forget to mumble curses under his breath.

"Old geezer, just you wait..."

He glanced around at the countless people surrounding him, hoping to find his friends' faces among them because he knew he would meet them all here.

He moved forward with the line to get a nameplate. However, when he saw the incredibly long line, he was sure it would take him at least a whole day before he could get a nameplate.